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Welcome to the current series of programmes fromForest Radio

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Join the PETITION to Parliament to
Review and Reform Stop and Search
Every Signature Matters

We all want a fairer society, don’t we? So why are so many innocent black, Asian and minority ethnic people (BAME) seven times more likely to be stopped and searched by police? Do we even know what effect this has on their health and relations? How can we when a national assessment on the effects of multiple or disproportionate stop and searches on the same communities has never taken place. Prime Minister Theresa May admitted at the Conservative Party Conference that "black people are seven times more likely to be targeted" for random stop and search by police officers.

The last 50 years of Stop and Search wasn’t great, another 50 years of the same Stop and Search surely cannot be healthy for future generations and the nation as a whole, can it? We therefore democratically request Government and UK Parliament to ‘review and reform stop and Search and carry out a national assessment on its impact on health’.

For further details on Stop and Search go to the Waltham Forest Echo website edition 32 page 8. You can even share your Stop and Search stories at endstopandsearch@gmail.com You should also contact and/or Write-a-letter to your local Member of Parliament (MP), and request them to take up the issue in Parliament.

The Write2-A-Life poetry & story competition is now over and we will soon be making an announcement, both here and through our mailing list, regarding its outcome.

Table of Contentsof current series

Diabetes a major concern in Waltham Forest
Wayne Walton talks to Rachel Glover, Improving Care Manager for Diabetes UK in London, who explains how serious the 'epidemic' of this preventable condition has become, and the steps that are being taken currently in Waltham Forest and London as a whole to try to limit the damage that the condition often leads to.

A visit to Waltham Forest Music Service
David visited an organisation called the Music Service, which is part of the borough's education provision. It's basically an after-school and weekend school of music for a wide age range of school students and an equally wide range of abilities. Fees are very low and there is a much richer social life to be enjoyed here than you would get from visiting an individual music teacher. The discipline and enthusiasm of the students and the dedication of the teachers and the whole atmosphere of the place were simply inspiring.

Jack Petchey's "Speak Out" Challenge!
The Regional Finals of the “World’s biggest youth speaking event” took place in Walthamstow hosted by Lammas School and Sixth Form, Walthamstow. The judging panel at the event included Chantelle Scott of Enabling Enterprise, Emily Hughes of Girlguiding, Jamie Jenkins of London Fire Brigade, Wayne Walton of Forest Radio, Penny Wycherley of Waltham Forest College and Laura O’Callaghan of the Guardian Series (local reporter). The event was won by Abdel Raouf Dahmane of Leytonstone School who will compete at the Grand Finals in July 2018; second Place was taken by Sabiha Nakda of Eden Girl’s School; and third place by Huriye Ciftcioglu of Rushcroft Foundation School.

Romeo and Juliet 2017 - Complete

A spoof version of Romeo and Juliet conveived by David after a few day's immersion in the astonishing Romeo and Juliet tourist industry that has grown up in present-day Verona. Apologies to the bard.

PROGRAMME 3 (12/11/17)
Running time: 1 hr. 17 mins. Our third programme of the present series. Recorded on Remembrance Sunday 2017, our main theme is the brutality of war. Heathcote Williams tells us about Harry Patch, the longest living veteran of World War I, who became one of the country's most powerful anti-war campaigners before his death at the age of 111 in 2009. There is also a short story from Gudrun called Decision Time and a very strange item about Adele's friend George and his most unusual hobby. In addition we have a roundup of Waltham Forest news, an item on the plans to build high rise luxury flats just off Walthamstow's town square, an update on our Right2-A-Life poetry and short story competition for young people in the borough, an item about Wayne's Stop and Search petition and a tribute fron Adele to the late Fats Domino, which is also available here as a stand-alone item.

A Tribute to Fats Domino (February 26, 1928 – October 24, 2017)

J&M Music Shop Plaque

Cosimo Metassa Music Plaque

A tribute by Adele Tinman to the great pianist and singer/songwriter of Louisiana Creole descent Fats Domino, who was one of the pioneers of Rock and Roll and sold more than 65 million records between 1955 and 1960. His humility and shyness are often cited as one reason his contribution to the genre and to Western popular music in general has been frequently overlooked.

American Tourists Visit The Mill and Talk About President Trump, Walthamstow and Their Son
Two American tourists are taken on a tour of Walthamstow by their loving son, Jessie, who resides in Walthamstow, but get a shock when Forest Radio scuppers their planned trip to the Wetlands to be replaced by an enjoyable radio interview with Wayne Walton, who didn’t waste any time finding out what they really thought about President Trump, Walthamstow and their son.
Unfortunately the microphone lead was faulty during this interview and caused crackles every time it was moved. We have managed to clean the recording up considerably but it remains a bit below our usual technical standard.

Stop and Search Petition for Review and Reform
We all want a fairer society, don’t we? So why are so many innocent black, Asian and minority ethnic people (BAME) seven times more likely to be stopped and searched by police? Do we even know what effect this has on their health and relations? How can we when a national assessment on the effects of multiple or disproportionate stop and searches on the same communities has never taken place. Prime Minister Theresa May admitted at the Conservative Party Conference that "black people are seven times more likely to be targeted" for random stop and search by police officers.

The last 50 years of Stop and Search wasn’t great, another 50 years of the same Stop and Search surely cannot be healthy for future generations and the nation as a whole, can it? We therefore democratically request Government and UK Parliament to ‘review and reform stop and Search and carry out a national assessment on its impact on health’.

For further details on Stop and Search go to the Waltham Forest Echo website edition 32 page 8. You can even share your Stop and Search stories at endstopandsearch@gmail.com You should also contact and/or Write-a-letter to your local Member of Parliament (MP), and request them to take up the issue in Parliament.

I'm 14 years old and My Dad's a Singer - Jean Paul Samputu
At a Black History Month event in Chingford Wayne talks to 14-year-old football enthusiast Igor Shamall and his father, singer and peace ambassador Jean Paul Samputu, who talks about the power of music to spread love and overcome hatred.

Grand opening and launch of Fashion Brand Tuffuoh
Interview with founder and fashion designer Diane Tuffuoh and comments from many customers, supporters and well wishers.
info@tuffuoh.com

Coping Through Football
Volunteers, including players and ex-players from Leyton Orient Football Club, offer regular football coaching and tournaments to encourage the health, both physical and mental, of the borough's young people. The Score Training Ground is the venue and it’s under the guidance of Leyton Orient Football Trust.

The Mall Walthamstow – Ready to Celebrate its 20th Anniversary in 2018
The Mall Walthamstow is in celebratory mood having recently refurbished to keep up with current market trends and leaders, meeting local and international needs, in readiest for winter festivities for the whole family and in preparation for the 20th Anniversary in 2018 since The Mall opened.

Liam Cooper - Sight Loss, Depression and Now Hope
Liam’s routine visit to his opticians led to an emergency operation, soon followed by 15 more operations, but when he felt rejection at job interviews due to his sight loss depression soon followed fearing he would never work again. But Liam soon found a way to overcome disappointment and hope became his victory.

PROGRAMME 2
Mill Round Up + Dancing at Leytonstone
Waltham Forest Photographic Club
Opening of The Wetlands
Jealousy – short story by Gudrun read by Adele
Discussion about driving around Verona +
2017 take on Romeo and Juliet written by David
David as Romeo, Adele as Juliet, Wayne as Montague
Narrator = Gudrun Two acts
Thank You from Engineering Paradise the Musical
– sung by Dayna Lynn
Write2-a-Life update: new deadline 7 January 2018
New group set up for victims of domestic violence –
Sharon Webb interviewed by Wayne (excerpt)
The Dark Side of Musicals by David (excerpt)
Tribute to Bessie Smith Adele by Adele (excerpt)
The Mall - proposed development in the Town Square
Total running time: 1hr 24. 29

Walking and Jogging for Free at the Green Hearts Project
The Green Hearts Project is set up for local people in Walthamstow to make use of their new ONE-MILE RED-ROUTE to get fit and remain healthy by walking or jogging around on the RED-TRACK for FREE, in a safe and secure environment with or without friends. Assistance is available from an Activator. The facility is available during daylight hours, the only requirement is to register free of cost.

Bettie Millard aged 88 Talks About Family & Life
Wayne talks to the woman every visitor to the Mill Community Centre meets as soon as they go through the door...

Forest Churches Emergency Night Shelter
Wayne talks to the Coordinator in charge of Forest Churches Emergency Night Shelter about homelessness and the role of the Christian churches of Waltham Forest in offering help.

A Tribute to Bessie Smith
September saw the 80th anniversary of the death of Bessie Smith, widely regarded as the finest blues singer of all time. In this tribute Adele Tinman looks at the life, career and legacy of the 'Empress of the Blues'.

Say NO to Domestic Violence - Sharron Webb
Sharron talks about how she survived domestic violence and struggled over many years to bring meaning back to her life as a result, and Women's Decision, the domestic violence support group she has set up and will be launching on the 30th October 2017 to help women in Waltham Forest going through the same problems she has faced.

Apple Day at The Mill ~ 20th Sept. 2017Wayne, Adele and David talk about an annual event at The Mill Community Centre on Coppermill lane, Walthamstow. Lots of interviews. Ten things you didn't (even want to) know about apples.

You Too Can Volunteer at The Mill says Isabel, a Volunteer ~22nd Sept. 2017Isabel discusses the various ways The Mill is being used by ordinary people, and how individuals make use of the space to develop their interests and as a relaxing place to make new friends. It is open to all age groups and from all backgrounds. You can be sure to be surprised at the range of activities and opportunities for volunteering available at The Mill.

New Caribbean Take-Away at the bottom of High Street Walthamstow ~ 18th Sept. 2017
Wayne interviews the owner and some of the customers at a new Caribbean street food stall at the bottom of High Street Walthamstow.

Bulgarian Consultation
Waltham Forest hosts the country's largestest Bulgarian community, and yet their profile is very low compared to that of other ethnic groups in the borough. In this series of interviews Wayne explores the possibility of an annual Bulgarian Cultural Festival and investigates the appetite for this within our local Bulgarian community.

Looking Forward to Black History Month ~ 16th Sept. 2017
George, one of the customers Wayne met in Derek's Jerk Spice Grocery Store in Chingford invites us to celebrate black history in Chingford and throughout Britain on October 7th.
Caribbean and African food, culture, music, dancing and having a good time. Also a chance to learn about the history of black people here and throughout the world. Hear one of the worst puns Wayne has ever come up with.

Mayor of Waltham Forest talks Youth, Diabetes and Opportunities ~ 14th Sept. 2017
The Mayor of Waltham Forest talks to Wayne and David about young people and their futures, support for people affected by diabetes and how she made use of her life’s opportunities and become the Mayor of Waltham Forest. Councillor Yemi Osho's warm personality and sense of fun comes across strongly in the interview and we end up singing a few words of Bill Withers' Lean on Me together. A true Forest Radio gem.

The Dark Side of Musicals - David ~ 11th Sept. 2017

This is an item that charts the evolution of a new stage musical called Engineering Paradise the Musical,from writing the novel to having a script and musical scores ready to submit to theatre groups for consideration as a stage project. In this instance the writing of the songs was achieved in a very unusual way by publishing all of the lyrics and the full script on the Internet, declaring the project Public Domain, and asking musicians and singers to contribute voluntarily to the task of turning the raw lyrics into completed songs.

You can read more about the project and find links to the script and all of the lyrics, as well as demo versions of the songs on
Soundcloud by visiting the page that started it all.

Interview with St. James Street Big Local
~ 9th Sept. 2017
Wayne and David went to Harmony Hall on Truro Road in Walthamstow to interview Libbi Lee and Neesha Badham of the organisation called St. James Big Local. Libbi's three-month old son Joli was also present.

If you want to get involved in volunteering in the St. James Street area or if you have a project or an idea something that would benefit the people of the St. James area you should get in touch with the St. james Street Big local by visiting their website: stjamesbiglocal.co.uk.

Flood Risk to Walthamstow - Campaign ~ 30th Aug. 2017
Dagenham Brook (part of Walthamstow Marshes) is an area areas at risk of Walthamstow at high risk of flooding. Wayne interviewed Pete Thomas of the Environment Agency
regarding a scheme to improve the area's flood defences & how it can be paid for. The item ends with 'Plug-in Baby' by Muse
This item is also included as part of PROGRAMME 1.

Businesses Could End Extremism Says Youth Leader ~ 15th Aug. 2017
Interview with Hamza, a youth worker at the Active Change
Foundation on Lea Bridge Road, who believes that the boys'
youth club, which is connected to a Mosque, can, with the
help of funding from local businesses, reclaim local boys
from the gang culture of crime and violence into which many
of them have drifted.

Campaign by Citizen Advice to FIX Universal Credit ~ 14th Aug. 2017
Interview with Diane Sempare of Walthamstow Citizens Advice
(formerly Citizens Advice Bureau) regarding ways to cope with
the changeover from separate benefits to the integrated
Universal Credit system, and what it will mean for claimants.

Stopping the Arms Trade ~ 18th Aug. 2017
A talk by a man named Simon from the pressure group 'Stop
The Arms Fair' about how and why people should protest against
the use of the Excel Centre in Newham to host one of the world's
largest international arms fairs every two years. Recorded at
the Hornbeam Cafe at 458 Hoe Street on 17th Aug. 2017.

STOP Local Post Office Closure Campaign ~ 12th Aug. 2017
Interviews with a group protesting outside the Central Post Office and neighbouring Central Library at the top of the High Street where a 'consultation' is taking place regarding plans to move the Post Office into the relatively small Foster’s Supermarket at 242 – 244 Hoe Street.
Interviewees include MP Stella Creasy. Includes a statement from a Post Office representative.

Book Cafe Bulgarian Style - The Interview ~ 5th Aug. 2017
Interview with Elina, the owner of the Once Upon a Time Book Cafe on St James Street, corner with Station Road, E17 8AA. The shop is a social centre for the Bulgarian community in Walthamstow, which is one of the biggest in the country.

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